The return of Raygun: Australia’s Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn realized there is cash in cringe

Last Sunday, Camryn Bynum from the Minnesota Vikings made a game-winning interception to close out the match against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Cheered on by his teammates, he performed an elaborate celebration routine in which he somersaulted, flopped around, pulled a headstand and jumped about like a kangaroo.

The moves were instantly recognizable.

Bynum was, of course, imitating the viral routine of Australian Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn, better known around the world as Raygun.

In the four months since her 2024 Paris Olympics debut, Gunn and her dance-moves have made it to the NFL, been imitated by Rachel Dratch on Jimmy Fallon, caught the attention of A-list celebrities including Adele who declared it “the best thing that happened in the Olympics”, and become the inspiration for many a Halloween costume.

The performance also made her the subject of relentless abuse. The 37-year-old university lecturer (she has a PhD in Culture Studies about breaking) failed to score a single point in the competition, losing all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0. Earlier this month social media users were delighted after Gunn announced she was retiring from competitive dancing.

Gunn called the vitriol directed at her and her family over her performance “pretty devastating” and said it has taken a heavy toll on her mental health. “While I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously,” she said. “I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics. I gave my all – truly.”

However, she is now looking to capitalize on her notoriety. Following the Olympics her Instagram following went from 4,000 to more than 200,000 and she was subsequently signed by Born Bred Talent agency.

She has since secured her first brand partnership with Finder, a global financial technology company, to front the #RaygunChallenge. The campaign encourages entrants to submit a dance video to Instagram with the hashtag #RaygunChallenge, imitating Gunn’s infamous moves.

Max Markson, who runs the talent agency Markson Sparks, estimates that such types of one-off deals are typically worth around $50,000 for “someone of Raygun’s profile.” Gunn told The Sydney Morning Herald that the Finder campaign would not be her last paid partnership.

“I know everyone thinks I’m this marketing mastermind and that I set up this whole scenario from the Olympics like I’m some kind of plant,”she said.

“I didn’t plan for any of this, but it would be silly not to leverage this moment, so I’m just taking it as it comes, and if I get an opportunity that resonates with my values and personality, then yeah, let’s work together.”

However, despite having a a few projects “happening behind the scenes” with her fledgling brand, Gunn, who lectures on dance and gender politics at Macquarie University, in Sydney, says she has no plans to abandon academia. “I’m still marking papers to pay the bills,” she told The Herald. “And I still enjoy research and being in the classroom.”

Speaking on Australia’s The Morning Show last week, Gunn reflected on her journey from viral sensation, to villain, to cult hero and her decision to return to the spotlight. “I think the initial reaction was that people were confused by what they were seeing, they didn’t understand what they were seeing. They thought it was really funny and I think there was that knee-jerk reaction,” she said.

“If they’d have dug deeper and watched more than a 20 second highlight clip, then they might see that maybe there’s a little bit more here and maybe [they] were a little bit quick to judge.

“Now I’ve decided to come back out and talk to people again, it’s to do it in this amazing space … and talk about it in this positive light and give a platform to other dancers because there are so many amazing dancers out there.”

Having once sought to distance herself from notoriety she earned for herself in Paris, Gunn is now actively leaning into it. “These days, I am in the business of looking forward, not looking back,” she told The Herald.

On November 9, Gunn made a surprise appearance at singer Tones and I’s concert in Melbourne, Australia. A clip of the unexpected performance during the song “Dance With Me” showed her confidently busting out the viral moves, including fan-favorite – the kangaroo hop.

“Raygun the most beautiful, kindest, full of life human I have met. It was an honour to celebrate you last night. Thank you for sharing the stage with me and bringing smiles to so many faces. You always have a friend in me,” Tones wrote.

After the video of Bynum’s (quite frankly flawless) imitation of her routine circulated online, Gunn herself posted a response video. “Yes! What vocab, I love it,” she said.

“Finishing with the kangaroo, teammates got involved, crowd’s cheering. That’s a celebration!”